What Is Your Major? Personal Statement Example

Economics fascinates me, and my goal is to study the subject as deeply as I can. It has, in fact, been a huge factor in my life to date, as I have been fortunate in being exposed to the worlds of international business and economics from a very young age.

Born into a Taiwanese family, I can recall no time when my father’s encouragement was not present. Beyond providing me with an environment in which I could devote myself to my studies, he fostered greater passions in me for them through his own attitudes; a man who enjoys challenges and forges ahead with no fear of failure, he wanted the same outlook and opportunities for me. I am aware now, as I have been all my life, of the extraordinary advantages  both his business life and his character gave to me.

My father is a foreign investor, as well as an active force in real estate.  For decades, he has been doing business throughout Asia, with his primary investing company based in South China. My summer vacation in the seventh grade began an exciting and educational family tradition for me, as my father took my brother and myself along with him as he investigated investments in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and China. My brother and I were not treated like pampered sons of the boss; we were, in a sense, interns in the business, and my father expected us to learn and interact appropriately. We surveyed sites together, as we examined potential business arrangements with many companies in these nations, and my father trained us to think in comprehensive and long-term business ways.

I asked questions, strongly encouraged by my father to expand my learning in every way. As he certainly expected, more than a few of my questions were not very to the point, but he knew as well that it was a necessary part of any learning process. His mentoring was both caring and very effective; I learned how to recognize and piece together the complex issues in economics at business levels, as I learned as well how important it is to view such things from an expanded perspective. Every year and every venture in these fields deepened my passion to devote myself to the complex dynamics of the world of economics.

By the eleventh grade, I had my first professional assignment. My father’s company was opening a coffee garden in Laos, and my task was to write a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the required investment plan. With my already strong awareness of the importance of an expanded view in place, I carefully analyzed the factors of supply and demand, market fluctuations, potential political interference, technology as a determining asset, and all costs. My father was pleased with the scope and expertise I displayed, and my determination to be an economics scholar was forged that very day.

At eighteen, I came to America and attended Diablo Valley College (DVC).  In very little time, my economic education was tied to the cultural and social one I was receiving, as I gladly joined in on school activities. In 2010 I was elected vice president of finance of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), a new and poorly organized club in DVC. I applied what I had learned to the club’s finance structure and decided to find the solution to its financial difficulty. I set up a financial committee within five existing members of SIFE, we advertised our club in business related classes to increase current members, and we organized and ran events to increase membership income. The club prospered, and I was also able to develop my leadership skills in the process.

In the summer of 2009, I had an internship in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), one of the country’s banks. Assistant to an executive manager of private banking in the  Zhuhat branch, I was in charging of filing personal loan documentation and credit card applications. The work was simple, yet it gave me a further understanding of how a single error  in the complex processes of banking may have enormous consequences. Then, I also came to appreciate the importance of team work, as I once again experienced how economics work in different cultures.

All these experiences have only served to cement my ambition. I want to understand why economic conflicts exist and the politics underlying them. Passion and perseverance have brought me this far;  the University of California can help shape me into becoming the world-class economist I believe I can be.